An arbitrator Saturday upheld most of Rodriguez's 211-game doping suspension, keeping him out of the 162-game 2014 regular season and the postseason.

The ruling by Major League Baseball arbitrator Fredric Horowitz will not only cost Rodriguez $25 million in salary, it also further clouds the groundbreaking career of a player who will turn 40 during the 2015 season.

The 162-game suspension -- which is the most severe punishment in baseball history for doping -- highlights baseball Commissioner Bud Selig's recent high-profile crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs.

In the lawsuit, Rodriguez claimed that the players union "completely abdicated its responsibility to Mr. Rodriguez to protect his rights," the AP reported. This created a climate "in which MLB felt free to trample" on his rights, the wire service said.